Light polarizing medium



0R 2 #339 ffl@ Fell l, 1944. L. A. KEIM LIGHT PoLARrzING unnml original Filed April 11, 19:59 j Q F/'qv l l r/r//// Immun l waken/E /Z KE/M Patented Feb. 1, 1944 Search Room UNITED STATES PATENTv OFFICE LIGHT POLARIZIN G MEDIUM Laurence A. Keim, Tarentum, Pa., assigner to Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, Allegheny County, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Original application April 11, 1939, Serial No.

Divided and this application December 24, 1940, Serial No. 371,526

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to the provision of a sheet medium for polarizing light and it has particular relation to the provision of a medium of the foregoing type suitable for lamination with reinforcing and stiiening sheets of glass or similar material.

One object of the invention is to provide la composite light polarizing member which includes a transparent plastic material in sheet form having optically oriented polarizing crystals embedded therein, which member is susceptible of lamination with plate glass without disturbing the orientation or otherwise deleteriously affecting the polarizing crystals.

A second object of the invention is to provide a composite polarizing member of safety glass type which has relatively high resistance to shattering and to shock or impact over a relatively wide range of temperatures.

A third object of the invention is to 4provide a simple and convenient process of forming polarizing sheets of the foregoing type.

It has long been recognized that crystals of certain organic substances, such as Herapathite (iodo quinine sulfate) have the power of transmitting light vibrating in a single plane (their (optical axes) while absorbing or cutting out light vibrating, in all other planes.

Such crystals in their natural form, are very thin and fragile, and it is impossible to obtain and preserve them in sizes useful for practical' purposes. Accordingly, it has been proposed to provide suspensions of a large number of microscopic or sub-microscopic crystals in a suitable medium such as a solution of a cellulose acetate. Subsequently these solutions were flowed out in such manner that the minute crystals were all oriented to bring their optical axis into paral lelism. When the solvents were removed from such films a sheet was obtained having light polarizing characteristics resulting from the aggregation of crystals corresponding to those of a single large crystal of the same surface area as the sheet. These sheets could be handled and manipulated without breakage and were suitable for many purposes. The process is described in E. H. Land Patent 2,041,138.

Among the uses suggested for such sheets was the provision of a non-glare system for overcoming headlight glare in automotive vehicles. In such system the lenses of the headlights of vehicles are provided with polarizing media having their optical axis inclined at an angle of 45 to the vertical but disposed in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the headlights. In front of the face of the driver is disposed a polarizing viewing member disposed with its axis extending 1n. the same direction as that of the members on the headlights. When a car so equipped meets a car coming inthe opposite direction and having similar equipment the plane of polarization of the light from the latter car is perpendicular to that of the viewing member and the glare is intercepted. A system of this type is described in detail in E. H. Land Patent 2,031,045.

Unfortunately, with conventional sheets of polarizing material embodying cellulose acetate or the like as a suspending medium for the polarizing crystals, dilculty has been encountered. This is true because in the lamination process, the particles or crystals of polarizing material suspended in the plastic when subjected to heat and pressure in order to effect lamination of glass tend to become deoriented, thus destroying the optical properties of the sheet. Likewise even after they have been laminated, it is found that the sheets become embrittled when subjected to low temperatures. Therefore, a glass member embodying conventional sheet polarizing media as plastic interlayers are subject to shattering by sudden impacts or blows at low temperatures, and are unsuitable from the standpoint of safety for use in vehicles.

In accordance with the provisions of the present invention a sheet polarizing member is provided including a thin film or layer of vinyl acetal having polarizing crystals optically oriented therein and being further adhered to a backing or backings of plasticized polyvinyl acetal resin. A composite body of this type can readily be laminated with glass without deorientation or other disturbance of the polarizing crystals. and the resulting product has high resistance to shattering over a broad range of temperatures, far exceeding that of ordinary polarizing materials.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may now be had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a light polarizing nlm having a backing and cushioning layer of vinyl acetal applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the sheet disclosed in Figure l applied to a sheet of glass.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view -of a polarizing film having backing layers of vinyl acetal applied to both faces thereof.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional viewl show-` ing a safety glass construction embodying a laminated structure shown in Figure 3, but showing sheets of protective glass upon both sides thereof.

In the drawing like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

In the preparation of a polarizing film a solution of vinyl acetal resin is first prepared. This solution may contain vinyl acetal resin of safety glass grade or type embodying the polymerized product obtained by reaction of hydrolyzed vinyl acetate and butyraldehyde. Acetylization of the acetate and aldehyde may be substantially 69 per cent complete and preferably the molecular weight will be approximately within a range of 15,000 to 25,000 as determined by the conventional Staudinger formula. The preparation of a resin of this type is disclosed in E. W. Reid Patent 2,120,628. The resin is dissolved in a solvent such as methyl alcohol and is plasticized with about 25-50, e. g. 32 per cent of a water insoluble plasticizer, such as castor oil, diethyl phthalate, dibutyl sebacate, or triethylene glycol dihexoate. l y

In order to form a polarizing medium submicroscopic crystals of a material such as Herapathite (iodo quinine sulfate) or iodo cinchonine sulfate are added thereto and the material is then caused to flow past a knife edge upon a supporting surface such as a sheet of cellulose acetate. As a result the axis of the polarizing crystals are suitably oriented, and when the solvents are evaporated, a film is obtained which possesses the desired optical properties. It will be appreciated porary backing of cellulose acetate which may be of substantially any desired thickness, e. g. .005 of an inch. Transfer of the polarizing film from the temporary backing to a permanent backing may be effected by superposing upon the film a sheet of vinyl acetal of the grade employed as an interlayer in safety glass and of desired thickness, e. g. .005 to .025 of an inch. The film may be plasticized with diethylene glycol dihexoate or other plasticizer. The plasticized film is covered with a layer of non-adhesive material such as cellophane or an additional sheet of cellulose acetate and is run between rollers in order to force out air. Subsequently the assembly is placed in a conventional vacuum press at a temperature of about 235 and pressed at 10 lbs. air pressure for a period of about 1 minute. The assembly is then cooled down to about 50 or 20 F. at which temperature the cellulose acetate film may be stripped away leaving the polarizing film upon the vinyl acetal backing.

The body as obtained comprises a film 'l of vinyl acetal containing polarizing crystals dispersed in an optically oriented position therein, upon a backing of vinyl acetal free of crystals. It is quite flexible and may be readily adhered directly (without cement) but under heat and pressure, to glass. A glass sheet may be applied without cement to the surface of the polarizing film or the lm, together with its backing may be sandwiched between two sheets of glass and then laminated by direct application of iiuid pressure in an autoclave in accordance with conventional practice, in forming safety glass. In such proc-g ess the fluid may be ethylene glycol and the perature of the fluid is about 120 C. The pres-- sure is about 150 lbs. per sq. inch. The tempera--A ture is gradually reduced to about '10 C. after which the autoclave may be opened and the body subsequently cooled. A completed sheet of this type is illustrated in Figure 2 in which a supporting sheet of glass is indicated at III and supports the backing film 1 of vinyl acetal and polarizing film 8.

In the embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figure 3 the assembly comprising the backing layer of vinyl acetal and the polarizing layer as shown in Figure 1 after it is stripped from the cellulose acetate is further provided with a facing layer H of vinyl acetal by a suitable pressing operation under heat. The conditions involved are the same as those involved in application of sheet 8.

In Figure 4. is shown an assembly in which the composite plastic inner layer shown in Figure 3 is assembled between upper and lower plates I3 and I4 of glass by the process above described.

A plate prepared as above described is excellent as a safety glass because it is characterized by great resistance to shattering, even at temperatures of zero degrees F. or lower, and also retains a relatively high degree of resistance at temperatures up to or above F. At the same time the optical properties of the polarizing iilm are substantially unimpaired.

Sheets or plates embodying the new polarizing material as a bonding agent may be employed as windshields or as sections of windshields. They-may .be cut to provide Visors and glare screens which are supported back of the windshields.` upon. suitable brackets. A small unit of material such as is shown in Figures 2 or 3 and embodying an exposed backing 8 of vinyl acetal may be adhered to a windshield by pressing it under heat against the latter, or by wetting it with a solvent, or by coating it with a cement and theny pressing it into position. Plates such as shown in. Figure 2 or 4 may be formed into.

may be made therein without departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

This is a division of my copending application Serial No. 267,328, filed April 11, 1939, now Patent 2,274,706, March 3, 1942, for Light polarizing medium. v

What I claim is:

As anew article of manufacture, a laminated y assembly comprising a pair of glass plates bonded together by an intermediate layer consisting of a sheet polarizing member containing'an intermediate layer'of polyvinyl acetal resin, having optically oriented polarizing crystals dispersed therein 4and layers of partial polyvinyl acetalresin containing; a vcompatible plasticizer united to opposed faces of the intermediater layer and being directly bonded to the glass plates.

LAURENCEA. KEIM. 

